From Harry Kane to Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe: The Euro 2024 Golden Boot contenders
Euro 2024 boasts some of football’s most deadly goalscorers.
From Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe to Cristiano Ronaldo and Jamal Musiala, goals aren't going to be in short supply this summer in Germany.
The top goalscorer award dates all the way back to the first iteration of the European Championship, hosted by France in 1960, where the accolade was split between five players who all mustered two goals.
Fast forward 60 years – 61 if we’re accounting for the pandemic – and Portugal’s global icon Ronaldo was adding yet another trophy to his over-spilling cabinet, scooping Euro 2020’s Golden Boot.
Ronaldo’s five tournament goals was actually tied by Patrik Schick, but thanks to a new rule introduced at Euro 2012, Ronaldo didn’t have to share his spoils by virtue of racking up more assists than his Czech adversary.
So, onto Euro 2024: talkSPORT has reviewed all the Golden Boot’s top candidates, with our assessments of each in full below.
Kylian Mbappe - France
- Age: 25
- Club Side: Real Madrid
- International Goals: 48
Let’s start with the main man. A 2018 World Cup winner, newly-announced Galatico, and widely considered one of if not the best player on the planet, Mbappe’s resume puts most others to shame.
The Frenchman is no stranger to performing on the biggest stage – as evidenced by his scintillating hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final, becoming the first player to achieve that feat since England’s Sir Geoff Hurst in 1966.
Mbappe is coming off the back of another strong season with Paris Saint-Germain, where his 27 Ligue 1 goals comfortably saw him top the league’s scoring charts while powering the Parisians to their tenth title in 12 seasons.
France are second favourites to lift the trophy in Germany, but with their recent pedigree and Mbappe’s sheer talent, you’d be brave to bet against either of them.
Mbappe won’t let an underwhelming group stage and broken nose suffered in the opening game stop him, having made it clear he is ready for the rest of the tournament.
Jamal Musiala - Germany
- Age: 21
- Club Side: Bayern Munich
- International Goals: 5
Musiala had his pick of countries when he first stepped up into senior international football. Eligible to represent England, Germany, Poland, and Nigeria, he eventually opted for his birth nation and hasn't looked back since.
Nicknamed 'Bambi' due to his elegant and agile dribbling ability, Musiala has been the name on everyone's lips so far at Euro 2024, coming out the traps to score two in as many games before adding a third to take an early lead in the Golden Boot race.
Musiala has been wreaking havoc at Euro 2024 so far, helping Germany put five past Scotland in the opening game, and showing a cool head to slot past Denmark's Kasper Schmeichel in the round of 16.
He may not have been an obvious top scoring contender before a ball was kicked, but he's certainly made everyone sit up and take notice of him.
Harry Kane - England
- Age: 30
- Club Side: Bayern Munich
- International Goals: 65
Turning our attention to the pre-tournament favourites, if England are finally going to end what is now 58 years of hurt, then they will need their main man firing on all cylinders.
Kane has enjoyed a stellar debut season with Bayern, netting 36 Bundesliga goals en route to winning the torjägerkanone – Germany’s top scorer award – even if his fine individual performances came up short of winning them the league.
He’s already England’s all-time top scorer, having overtaken Wayne Rooney back in March last year, and will be on penalties for the Three Lions at Euro 2024.
Kane got off the mark against Denmark in England's second match, but was later substituted while receiving his fair share of critics.
The group stages as a whole very poor for England, but they've lucked out with the draw - sitting on the opposite side to many of the big-hitters - and the striker duly managed to double his tournament tally in the last 16, helping the Three Lions edge past Slovakia after extra time.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal
- Age: 39
- Club Side: Al Nassr
- International Goals: 130
On the cusp of 40 years old and ageing like a fine wine, Ronaldo continues to defy biology by performing week in, week out. His spectacular brace in Portugal’s final warm-up game pre-Euro 2024 was testament to that, with the superstar remaining as motivated as ever.
Ronaldo had to watch from the sidelines in 2016 as his teammates saw them over the line to win the Euros, but this time around you can bet that CR7 will be right in the thick of it.
He’s the current holder of the Euros Golden Boot, thanks to his five goals in 2021, and despite his age you wouldn’t put it past him having another run at it this time around.
He may not have scored in the group stages - and missed a penalty in the last 16 - but stepping up and scoring in the shootout shows his mentality. One brace or hat-trick could change the picture very quickly.
Kai Havertz - Germany
- Age: 25
- Club Side: Arsenal
- International Goals: 18
University students could write a dissertation on the curious career of Havertz. A breakout Bayer Leverkusen star, a winning goal for Chelsea in the Champions League final, and a vital cog in both Arsenal and Germany’s machine.
Yet despite all that he’s often overlooked in the conversation of modern day greats. His time with Chelsea will ultimately be remembered as a disappointment, and finding the perfect position for him seems to have stumped many an elite manager.
The Germans even recently tried Havertz at left-back, but have since reverted to deploying him in the attacking line and he is already off the mark having netted a penalty in the demolition of Scotland.
While Havertz himself isn’t renowned as a relentless goalscorer, it’d be remiss to write off the host nation’s prospects of going all the way, and with Havertz off to a strong start while leading the line and on penalty duty, there’s every chance he’ll be in amongst the goals and assists.
Jude Bellingham - England
- Age: 21
- Club Side: Real Madrid
- International Goals: 5
Anyone looking at this purely on international stats with no football knowledge would think this was crazy. A 20-year-old kid that doesn’t even play as a striker?
But this is no ordinary 20-year-old. This is Jude Bellingham. Dortmund wunderkind turned Galactico genius. 23 goals for Real Madrid and LaLiga and Champions League trophies tell a very different story.
Bellingham has historically played deeper in midfield for England, but this time around he’s taken the number 10 shirt, operating just behind Kane in Gareth Southgate’s 4-2-3-1 system.
His sense of timing and ability to step up in clutch moments - as evidenced with his last-minute goal in the round of 16 - very much make Bellingham a contender for the Golden Boot, providing he can isn't hit with a ban after his recent gesture.
Cody Gakpo - Netherlands
- Age: 25
- Club Side: Liverpool
- International Goals: 12
Heading into the tournament, Netherlands wouldn't have been widely fancied, even less so after their loss to Austria which saw them finish third in Group D.
Nonetheless, Gakpo has been flying under the radar, quietly plugging away to notch two goals during the group stages.
A strong performance in the last 16 saw the wide attacker add a third to his tally, drawing level with Musiala as Netherlands brushed off Romania.
A quarter-final against Turkey awaits, and you wouldn't now be surprised if Netherlands made it all the way to the final, spearheaded by Gakpo's goals.
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